


Elevator Woes

by Jennie



Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 19:18:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19069000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jennie/pseuds/Jennie
Summary: Vic and Ripley get stuck in an elevator together and talk.





	Elevator Woes

“Well, this is ironic.”  Chief Ripley states, as the elevator comes to a halt between the second and third floors.  Vic looks at him quickly before staring straight ahead.  Sullivan had voluntold her to bring a bunch of forms to headquarters for HR, otherwise she’d be back at Station 19 where she belonged, fighting fires and patching up people.  When the elevator on the way down had opened and she was met with the chief, she had confidently gotten on.  She isn’t on _bad_ terms with the chief, or anything, not after the six weeks he had taken over as captain of Station 19, but she wouldn’t exactly call them friendly either, and he definitely isn’t who she’d choose to get trapped into an elevator with. 

 

He drops to his knees and pries open the door to the phone.  “Hello? This is Chief Ripley.  Firefighter Hughes and I seem to be stuck in the elevator between the second and third floors.”

 

He listens for a moment and sighs, before hanging up.  “The fire chief stuck in an elevator – I’m not going to hear the end of this.”

 

“It could happen to anyone.  Sir.” She tacks on.

 

“Well, sit tight, Hughes, because we’ve got about twenty minutes before we get out of here.”  He sits on the floor.

 

“Twenty minutes?”  She gives in and sits across from him.  “Why so long?”

 

“They need a key – this key.”  He holds up a key from his key ring.  “There are two spares, but apparently one of the spares – the onsite spare – is missing, and the elevator company has to send over their spare.”

 

“Oh.”

 

They fall into silence.

 

“How is Sullivan?”  He finally asks, his knees up to his chest. 

 

“He’s fine.”  A drill-sergeant but a good firefighter. 

 

“And, how are you?” 

 

“I’m fine.  I’d be better if I weren’t trapped in an elevator.” 

 

He chuckles.  “Yeah, I hear you.”  A phone beeps and he fishes it out.  “And here’s the first text mocking me.”  He flashes the screen at her, but she can’t get a good look.    
   

“Already? It’s been like a minute.”

 

“News – and gossip – travel fast in the FD, you should know that.”  His thumbs fly as he types an answer. 

 

“True enough.”  She brings out her own phone, she but doesn’t have any service.  Great, just great.  “No service,” she says at his questioning look.

 

“My phone is about to die,” he mumbles.  “Meant to charge it as soon as I got to my car.”  He puts his phone into his jacket pocket.  “Guess talking is the only thing left to do.”

 

“Talking.” 

 

“Yeah, have a conversation.”  He shrugs.  “Unless you want to sit in silence for the next twenty minutes.”

 

“A bit less than that,” she says without thinking, and then wants to cover her mouth.  “I’m sorry, sir.”

 

He laughs.  “No, it’s fine, Hughes.  You’re right – it’s a bit less now.”

 

“So…what do you want to talk about?” Talking with the chief is going to be awkward but staring at each other in silence is going to be even _more_ awkward. 

 

“I don’t know, Hughes.”  He sighs.  “Um…do you have a family?”

 

“I mean I have parents, if that’s what you mean.”  She shrugs.  “They live in the Midwest.  But I don’t, like, have a family of my own.  Not even a boyfriend.  You?”  


“No family besides my sister Jennifer.  I do have two ex-wives though.”  He sighs when she gets this look on her face.  She’s not judging him – not trying to, at least.

 

“So, I guess marriage isn’t such a serious thing for you?”  She jokes, but it falls flat.

 

He looks above her shoulder.  “Look, the first time around I was very serious, but we were really young and it’s for the best.  The second time around – I felt good about Eva, but by the end I wasn’t sure if she liked me.” 

 

“Ouch.”

 

“Yeah…”  He trails off.  “So, what about…pets.”  He fumbles for a topic.  “Do you have any pets?” 

 

“No pets.  Kind of want one – a dog or a cat – but with my schedule…” She trails off.  “Just not possible.”

 

“No, that’s true.”  He smiles. “I’d like a dog myself, but as you said, there’s just not time for it.  I almost got one when Eva and I were married, but it’s probably a good thing we didn’t…just one more thing to fight over after we got divorced.”

 

“Sounds messy.” She replies.  “Your divorce, I mean.”  She clarifies at his questioning look.  Then it dawns on her who she’s talking to.  “Not that it’s any of my business, I mean – we don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to.”

 

“No, no, I brought it up.  This is a…safe space.  You can talk about anything here and I won’t take offense or get upset.”  He smirks.  “Though I’d appreciate it if you didn’t yell at me.”

 

“I will…I will try to avoid doing that.”  She feels her lips curl into a smile.

 

“Right, so my divorce.  It wasn’t _that_ messy, because we didn’t have kids or pets or anything, but it wasn’t particularly fun either.”  He shrugs.  “Not that divorces ever are, but it wasn’t amicable like my first one.  Amy and I are still friends, actually.  She’s happily married with a couple of teenagers, lives in Olympia.”

 

“That’s nice to hear.”  She shifts a bit.  “My parents almost got divorced once but ended up just separated for a year instead.  And I guess in that time they worked it out and realized that they missed each other, because they got back together and have been happily married ever since.”

 

“I’m happy to hear that.”  He smiles at her.  “No siblings?”

 

“No, just me.  I always kind of wanted a sibling though.”  She brings up her knees.

 

“My sister Jennifer is seven years younger than I am.  It’s a pretty big difference but was still fun, having a little sister.”

 

“Are you close?  And what about your parents?”   

 

His face falls, and she thinks for a moment she made a faux pas before he gets this wistful look on his face.  “They died my freshman year of college.  And yeah, Jennifer and I are close – I raised her from the time she was eleven until she went to college.”

 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she says. 

 

They fall into silence again.

 

“So…did you go to college?” He eventually tries.

 

“Yeah, English.” She makes a face.  “So, I was working at Macy’s and decided that it wasn’t what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing, and I ended up applying to the fire academy.” She waits a beat.  “You?”

 

“I studied civil engineering.  I already knew from my sophomore year that I wanted to be a firefighter, though.” 

 

“Really? That’s cool.”  She tips her head back.  Is it getting hot in there or is it just her?  She figures it’s her turn to come up with a question.  “What’s the last book you read?”

 

“ _Street Freaks_ by Terry Brooks.”  At her questioning look, he continues.  “It’s a science fiction novel, set in the future.  It was pretty good, but I think I prefer his Shannara books more.”  He shifts.  “What about you?”

  
  
“Oh, um, _The Geography of Lost Things_.”

 

“What’s it about?”  He leans his head back.

 

“Well, it’s a Young Adult book…” At his questioning gaze, she explains.  “You know, written for young adults, well, really teenagers.  Like thirteen and up.  I, um, really like them, to be honest.  They’ve gotten really great over the past decade or two, and I actually specialized in them during my degree.”  She shrugs.  “And it’s about this girl who inherits her estranged father’s car and goes on a road trip with it.  It’s good, so far – I’m not very far along.”

 

“So, you read a lot?”

 

“Well, not as much as I’d like.”  She sighs.  “But I try to, yeah.  You?”

 

“When I can, I read.  But yes, not as much as I’d like to.”  He pauses.  “Favorite author?”

 

She laughs.  “Oh man, you can’t ask an English major that.  I don’t know – I have too many.  You?”

 

“You shouldn’t ask a voracious reader that,” he tosses back at her, grinning.  “But I will say that I prefer science fiction and fantasy as genres.”  He rolls his neck.  “Why do you love Young Adult fiction so much?”

 

“I don’t know… they seem more happy and hopeful than a lot of general fiction.  And they cover all sorts of topics.  Plus, they’re easy – I can sit down with one and read it in a sitting, and I don’t usually have to think too hard.  Not that they don’t require thinking, because they do, but it’s just a different feel, I guess?” She shrugs.  “Why do you like science fiction and fantasy?”

 

“Because it’s so different from our world,” he says easily. 

 

They fall back into silence, but it’s an easy one.

 

She got to know Ripley a bit, when he was interim captain, and she didn’t really have any complaints.  He was strict but fair, and though she wasn’t sure she could ever forgive him for the skyscraper and leaving her team in there, she was beginning to see what type of man he was, underneath.

 

“Would you rather have a penguin or a flamingo?”  She blurts out.

 

He laughs.  “Where did _that_ come from?” 

 

“I don’t know,” she blushes, “it just came to me.”

 

“Um, that is a tricky question.”  He rubs his beard.  “I gotta go with penguin, though.  They just speak to me more.”

 

“Penguin seems more practical, I mean, from the size? But flamingos are pretty cute too…” She trails off.  “I don’t know… I’ll go with flamingo.  Just to be contrary.” She grins.

 

“Did you ever read _Mr. Popper’s Penguins?_ ”  He asks. 

 

“Oh my – yes!  I did!  In first grade!”  She laughs.  “Man, it’s been years since I read that book, I should reread it again.”

 

“I read it too in elementary school, and I remember reading it to Jennifer when she was little.”  He smiles at her.  “I think that sparked me preferring penguins.”

 

“Yeah, there don’t seem to be kid books involving flamingos.”  She smiles at him.  “Your turn.”

 

“For what?”

 

“To ask something: a would-you-rather or just an open-ended question.” 

 

“Oh…” He pauses for a moment.  “Snow or sun?”

 

“Easy, sun.”  She tilts her head back for a second, looks up into the ceiling of the elevator.  “Snow is fun, but it’s so cold and I get cold easily. Plus, everything gets so wet.  And you have to deal with the rain and stuff before the snow comes.”

 

“You live in Seattle and don’t like rain?” He teases.

 

“Ha ha, very funny.  Let me guess,” she puts a finger to her lips, “you’re a snow person.”

 

“I mean I like the sun too, but…yes, I do love the snow.” 

 

“Well that’s it, we could never date.”  A look of horror comes over her face when she realizes what she said.  “I mean, not to imply – I’m sorry, sir, I just –”

 

“Hughes, it’s fine.”  He waits until she looks at him.  “Really, remember what I said? Safe space or whatever here.”

 

“Right, I remember. Sorry.”  She apologizes once more for good measure, the blush retreating.  “So, um, sweet popcorn or salty popcorn?”  She flounders to change the subject.

 

“Salty.  Savory popcorn, really. It shouldn’t be _too_ salty.”  He smiles reassuringly. 

 

“Same.  I’ll occasionally eat caramel popcorn or something if someone offers it to me, but if I’m making the choice, it’s got to be savory.”  She straightens out her legs. 

 

“So, what do you do besides read?”  He asks.

 

“Oh, watch movies and television, I guess, hang out with Travis – he’s my best friend, hang out with the Maya and Andy sometimes, sleep.”  She shrugs.  “I guess it doesn’t sound very interesting.”

 

“No, you’re fine, Hughes.” He stretches his back.  “Travis…Montgomery?”

 

“Yeah, that’s him.”

 

“How is he doing?” 

 

“Fine,” she mutters.  This is not the place to get into a discussion about the skyscraper.  “What about you?  What do you do in your free time?”

 

“Oh, I read, jog, swim, see the occasional movie, watch TV.”  He shrugs.  “See, I’m not very interesting either.”

 

“I guess we’re a pair then,” she kids, and he smiles.

 

“I guess so.”

 

“So…” She trails off.  “Dogs!  You like dogs.  What would be your ideal type?”

 

He laughs.  “Oh, I don’t know if I should go with a Labrador or a Great Pyrenees.  Or maybe a Golden Retriever.”  He hmms.  “There are a lot of great breeds out there; I’m not really partial to any particular one.  They all have their good sides.”

 

“That’s true.  All dogs are pretty awesome.” 

 

“What about you, Hughes? If you could have a dog, what kind would you get?”

  
“I think I’d actually get a mutt, to be honest.”  She hugs her knees again.  “You can get a lot of issues with a purebred dog, and mutts usually are the ones that need homes the most.  I’d get a dog from the animal shelter.”

 

“That’s a very good point.”  He nods.  “If I ever find myself having time for a dog, I will definitely go to the animal shelter first.”

 

“I kind of wanted to volunteer at the animal shelter,” she says, “but just don’t really have the time.  They wanted a set schedule, at least to start, and I can’t really give them one.”

 

“That sucks.” 

 

“Yeah.” She sighs.  “Like I said – I’d really like to have a pet…or at least some interaction with animals on a regular basis.  Volunteering would have filled that need, plus it’s helping.”

 

“You like to help people,” he murmurs.

 

“I mean, don’t you?” She looks at him questioningly.  “I mean, we’re both firefighters.”

 

“True,” he says, tilting his head.  “But beyond that, you want to go and volunteer time helping others.  Well, animals, not people, but same thing.” He pauses.  “Not a lot of people would do that.”

 

“I don’t know.  Would you?” She shoots back at him.

 

“I don’t know,” he muses.  “I’d never thought of it.  And if they won’t take your schedule, they probably won’t take mine, since I’m on call pretty often.  But it’s a good idea.  Maybe we can check it out again sometime.”  Then he seems to realize what he’s said.  “I mean, I don’t want to assume, I just meant it was worth looking into.”

 

“It’s fine,” she murmurs.  To be honest, volunteering with Ripley at the animal shelter actually is starting to sound kind of fun.  _Ripley_ is starting to sound kind of fun.

 

“So… what about –” He begins but breaks off as the elevator starts to move.

 

They both grab the railings above their heads.  “Has it been twenty minutes?” She asks.

 

The phone rings, and Ripley grabs it. “Ripley here.  …I see.  Great.”  He hangs up and turns to her again.  “They found the onsite spare.  Seems the building manager had it on his key ring all along and just forgot.” 

 

“Oh good.  So we’re getting out?” She smiles hesitantly at him.

 

“We’re getting out.” He grins at her.

 

“Oof.” She stands, stretches.  “I will be glad of that.”

 

The car rumbles all the way down to the first floor and opens.  They’re met with a couple of the building staff and Battalion Chief Frankel who laughs the moment Ripley steps out.  Vic follows him and is about to peel off when Ripley speaks.

 

“Hughes?” She stops and turns.  “It was nice talking with you.” He smiles at her.

 

“It was nice talking to you to, sir.” She smiles back.  He waves lightly at her, and she leaves the building.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated.


End file.
